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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


URBANA,   JULY,   1902. 


BULLETIN  NO.  78. 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES    OF    CATTLE 
WITH  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  INTERPRET- 
ING MARKET  QUOTATIONS. 


BY  HERBERT  W.  MUMFORD,  B.  S.,  PROFESSOR  OF  ANIMAL  HUSBANDRY, 

COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE,  AND  CHIEF  IN  ANIMAL  HUSBANDRY, 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


SUMMARY. 

1.  Learn  to  distinguish  between  a  market  class  and  a  market 
grade.     Speaking-  generally  the  market  classes  of  beef  cattle  are 
Beef,  Butcher  Stock,  Cutters  and  Canners,  Veal  Calves,  and  Stock- 
ers  and  Feeders.      The  grades  are  prime,  choice,  good,  medium, 
common,  and  inferior. 

2.  The  names  of  the  various  classes  indicate  the   uses   to 
which  cattle  in  those  classes  are  put.     The  grades  refer  to  quality, 
condition,  and  conformation,  the  relative  importance  of  which  fac- 
tors so  far  as  they  influence  market  values,  is  indicated  by  the  or- 
der in  which  they  have  been  enumerated,  quality  being  of  greatest 

367 


368  BULLETIN   NO.   78.  [July, 

importance,  condition  next,  and  conformation  of  least  importance. 

3.  Weight  has  relatively  but  small  influence  in  determining 
the  grade  and  price  of  fat  cattle.      Quality  and  condition  largely 
govern  both. 

4.  As  a  basis  for  comparison  and  study  of  other  grades,  be- 
come thoroughly  familiar  with  the  characteristics  of  prime  steers 
and  choice  feeders  ;  these  are  the  standard  grades  of  fat  cattle  and 
feeders.     Fluctuations  in  the  market  affect  these  grades  less  than 
others. 

5.  It  is,  therefore,  more  difficult  to    determine    an   approxi- 
mately correct  valuation  for  a  lot  of  low  grade  cattle  than  forjcat- 
tle  of  higher  grades. 

6.  When  practicable  follow  your  consignments  to  the  market, — 
find  out  the  desirable  and  undesirable  characteristics  of  your  cat- 
tle from  the  standpoint  of  the  market. 

7.  Observe  other  cattle  on    the   market   and   compare  their 
quality,  condition,  conformation,  and  the  prices  paid  for  them  with 
the  quality,   condition,  conformation,  and  price  of  your  own  cattle 
with  which  you  are  more  familiar. 

8.  Compare  prices  for  which  various  lots  of  cattle  have  been 
sold  with  market  quotations,  and  note  what  grade  of  cattle  is  bring- 
ing similiar  prices. 

9.  The  terms  export,,  shipping,  and  dressed  beef  steers  are  no 
longer  significant  of  any  particular  grade  of  cattle.      Several  dif- 
ferent grades  and  even  different  classes  are  exported,  shipped,  and 
used  for  dressed  beef. 

10.  The  most  desirable  steer  for  export,  for  shipping,  and  for 
the  best  grade  of  dressed  beef  either  for  domestic  or  foreign  trade 
is  the  same  in  each  instance. 

11.  The  best  grade  of  any  class  of  cattle  must  be  practically 
above  critcism. 

12.  When  cattle  grade  the  best  of  their  class  they  command  a 
premium  on  the  market.     Such  cattle  usually  sell  at  strong  prices 
and  for  their  full  value. 

13.  Cattle  of  the  lower  grades,  necessarily  deficient  in  certain 
particulars,  sell  at  a  discount  which  in  many  instances  is  great- 
er than  their  inferiority  demands. 

14.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  tendency  is  to  spring  the 
market  for  choice,  prime,  and  fancy  grades  while  the  common  and 
medium  grades  are  seldom,  if  ever,  sold  for  more  than  they  are 
worth  and  many  times  they  do  not  bring  their  full  value  owing 
to  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  buyers  to  magnify  defects  of  minor 
importance. 


1902.]                              MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  369 

CLASSES  GRADES  PAGE      PLATE 

NO. 

f                                                      f  PRIME  STEERS 374  i 

|  CHOICE  STEERS 379  2 

BEEF  CATTLE.        Page  373 <{  GOOD  STEERS 379  4 

|  MEDIUM  STEERS 379  5 

^COMMON    ROUGH  STEERS 383  3 

f  PRIME  HEIFERS 393  9 

CHOICE  HEIFERS 394  10 

GOOD  HEIFERS 394  11 

MEDIUM  HEIFERS 394  12 

PRIME    Cows 394  13 

BUTCHER  STOCK.  Page  392^  Gooo'cowsT8 

MEDIUM  Cows 397  ib 

COMMON  ROUGH  STEERS 397  3 

CHOICE  BULLS 397  17 

GOOD  BULLS 397  18 

'[_  M  EDIUM  BULLS 397  19 


fc 
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("GOOD  CUTTERS 405  21 

|  MEDIUM  CUTTERS 405  22^ 

|  COMMON  CUTTERS 

CUTTERS  AND  CANNERS.  <J         AND  GOOD  CANNERS 410  23 

Page  402  !  MEDIUM  CANNERS 410  24 

INFERIOR  CANNERS 410  25-6 

BOLOGNA  BULLS 410  27 

("FANCY  SELECTED  FEEDERS 414  29 

CHOICE  FEEDERS 414  30 

GOOD  FEEDERS 418  31 

MEDIUM  FEEDERS 418  32 

COMMON  FEEDERS 418  33 

INFERIOR  FEEDERS 421  34 

FEEDER  BULLS 421  41 


STOCKERS  AND  FEEDERS^ 
Page  410 


FANCY  SELECTED 

YEARLING  STOCKERS  423  35 

CHOICE  YEARLING  STOCKERS  ..  424  36 

GOOD  YEARLING  STOCKERS 425  37 

MEDIUM  YEARLING  STOCKERS.  .  426  38 

COMMON  YEARLING  STOCKERS.  .  426  39 

INFERIOR  YEARLING  STOCKERS  427  40 

GOOD  STOCK  HEIFERS 421  42 

|  MEDIUM  STOCK  HEIFERS 421  43 

^COMMON  STOCK  HEIFERS 421  44 


SUBCLASSES 


f  CHOICE 430  45 

GOOD 430  46 

MEDIUM  432  47 

COMMON 432  48 


VEAL  CALVES.        Page  430^0^^.. ......................  4g       46 


TEXAS  AND  WESTERN  RANGE  CATTLE 388       7-8 

DISTILLERS 388        20 


MISCELLANEOUS 


BABY  BEEF 388          6 

EXPORT  CATTLE 384 

SHIPPING  STEERS .384 

DRESSED  BEEF  CATTLE .385 

STAGS 402        28 


370  BULLETIN   NO.  78.  {July, 

IMPORTANCE  OF  MARKET  CLASSIFICATIONS. 

Variations  in  quality,  condition,  weight,  and  age  of  cattle 
reaching-  the  Chicago  market  make  it  necessary  to  establish  certain 
classes  and  grades  in  order  to  report  market  conditions  intelligibly 
through  the  public  press.  While  the  limits  and  characteristics 
of  these  classes  and  grades  are  somewhat  variable  owing  to  fluctu- 
ations in  the  supply  and  the  demand,  they  are  still  distinct  enough 
to  permit  of  classification  and  definition. 

It  is  evident  that  the  value  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
various  market  grades  of  cattle  is  not  fully  appreciated  by  a  ma- 
jority of  the  feeders  and  breeders  of  beef  cattle.  Without  a  thor- 
ough understanding  of  market  and  feed  lot  requirements  the  feeder 
is  groping  in  the  dark.  If  he  secures  a  profit  it  is  more  the  result 
of  an  accident  than  of  a  definitely  determined  and  intelligently 
executed  plan.  Such  guesswork  is  more  often  followed  by  loss 
than  by  profit. 

Those  most  familiar  with  the  cattle  trade  agree  that  there  oft- 
en exist  wide  differences  between  the  actual  selling  price  of  cattle 
in  the  market  and  the  previous  estimate  by  the  feeders  sending 
them  forward  as  to  the  prices  they  should  bring.  The  small  feeder, 
who  seldom  follows  his  cattle  to  market,  has  a  poor  chance  to  learn 
market  conditions  and  requirements,  but  the  regular  shipper  has 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  do  so.  Feeders  must  rely  largely  upon 
the  market  reports  for  their  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  the  cat- 
tle trade.  Market  reports  will  always  be  more  intelligible  to 
readers  who  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  stockyards  vernacular 
than  to  those  who  seldom  visit  them ;  hence,  the  desirability  of 
frequent  visits  to  the  market.  Inability  on  the  part  of  the  feeder 
to  interpret  correctly  market  quotations  places  him  at  a  decided 
disadvantage  either  in  selling  his  cattle  to  a  shipper  or  in  shipping 
to  the  open  market.  The  hope  that  this  bulletin  will  aid  cattle 
feeders  and  also  those  without  experience  about  to  engage  in  the 
business  of  breeding  or  feeding  beef  cattle  on  an  extensive  scale 
inspired  this  attempt  to  classify  and  explain  the  various  market 
classes  and  grades  of  cattle. 

It  might  appear  on  first  thought  that  a  knowledge  of  market 
requirements  and  the  conditions  that  govern  them  would  be  of  lit- 
tle interest  and  of  still  less  importance  to  the  breeder  of  pedigreed 
beef  cattle.  Unless  the  breeder  of  registered  beef  cattle  is  fortified 
with  such  information,  however,  he  is  too  apt  to  breed  without  at- 
taching sufficient  importance  to  the  fact  that  the  only  reason  for 
the  existence  of  the  improved  breeds  of  beef  cattle  is  that  they  fa- 
cilitate the  economical  production  of  beef  of  high  quality.  The 


1902.]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF  CATTLE.  371 

first  lesson  for  the  breeder  of  registered  beef  cattle  should  be  to 
familiarize  himself  thoroughly  with  the  demands  of  the  fat  cattle 
,  market.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  very  many  breeders  have  almost 
entirely  overlooked  this  fundamental  consideration.  They  are 
breeding-  Shorthorns,  Aberdeen  Angus,  Galloways,  or  Herefords 
because  they  are  Shorthorns,  Aberdeen  Angus,  Galloways,  or 
Herefords  and  not  because  they  see  in  these  cattle  especial  fitness 
for  the  economical  production  of  beef  of  high  quality.  In  other 
words,  many  lose  sight  of  market  requirements. 

The  breeder  of  registered  beef  cattle  who  long  overlooks  the 
ability  of  his  stock  to  produce  animals  that  will  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  open  market  will  find  his  trade  gradually,  but  surely 
slipping  away,  for  the  successful  breeder  of  the  future  will  be 
obliged  to  meet  the  demands  of  a  more  intelligent  public.  Beef 
producers  in  general  wanting  registered  bulls  of  some  one  of  the 
breeds  of  beef  cattle  are  rapidly  acquiring  a  more  critical  knowl- 
edge of  their  business,  and  they  keenly  appreciate  a  thoroughly 
good  animal  ;  while  the  inferior  animal,  pure  bred  though  he  may 
be,  no  longer  receives  serious  consideration.  Never  before  in  the 
history  of  improved  breeds  of  beef  cattle  have  so  many  breeders 
turned  their  attention  to  a  study  of  market  and  feed  lot  require- 
ments as  a  basis  for  their  breeding  operations. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  bulletin  will  demonstrate  the  importance 
of  this  subject  in  a  way  that  will  influence  many  to  make  a  careful 
study  of  market  conditions  and  lead  all  to  look  upon  a  study  of 
the  market  as  of  great  importance  in  the  production  of  meats  gen- 
erally ;  for  what  is  true  of  the  beef  cattle  market  is  also  true  to  a 
large  extent  of  the  sheep  and  hog  markets. 

The  task  undertaken  is  not  an  easy  one.  Some  of  the  perplex- 
ities are  :  First,  the  somewhat  variable  nature  of  the  different 
classes  and  grades  due  to  variations  in  quality,  condition,  and  visi- 
ble supply  of  cattle,  and  the  activity  in  the  dressed  beef  trade  ; 
second,  the  difficulty  of  accurately  describing  animals  typical  of  the 
various  grades  ;  third,  the  difficulty^  of  securing  photographs  of 
average  types  representing  the  market  grades  ;  and  fourth,  a  lack 
of  uniformity  in  the  classification  of  the  various  market  grades  of 
cattle  and  in  the  use  of  terms  by  those  intrusted  with  selling,  buy- 
ing, and  reporting  the  cattle  market.  Different  agricultural  jour- 
nals have  different  ways  of  reporting  the  market,  while  the  same 
terms  are  not  uniformly  used  in  the  same  report  in  referring  to  the 
same  grades  of  cattle.  In  the  interest  of  a  more  intelligent  inter- 
pretation of  market  quotations  a  fairly  uniform  classification  should 
prevail  in  reporting  the  cattle  market.  Agricultural  journals  ev- 


372  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  [July, 

erywhere  will  gladly  cooperate  in  bringing-  about  such  a  condition 
and  all  interested  in  the  cattle  trade  will  appreciate  approved  cor- 
rections. 

This  bulletin  is  the  result  of  an  investigation  of  the  subject  by 
the  author  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  where  every  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  and  every  possible  courtesy  extended  by  the 
officials  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company,  Live 
Stock  Commission  Companies,  and  by  representatives  of  the  Live 
Stock  Journals.  Forty-five  of  the  engravings  used  in  illustrating 
this  bulletin  were  made  from  photographs  taken  in  the  Chicago 
Union  Stock  Yards,  forty  of  which  were  taken  especially  for  use 
in  this  work. 

Cattle  are  handled  in  the  Chicago  market  according  to  the 
following  classes,  grades  of  which  are  subsequently  fully  described: 

MARKET  CLASSES. 

Beef  Cattle.  This  class  includes  export,  shipping,  and 
dressed  beef  steers. 

Texas  and  Western  Range  Cattle.  In  reality  this  is  a 
subclass  of  beef  cattle  ;  it  includes  all  grades  of  Texas  cattle 
and  branded  cattle  from  the  western  ranges.  Such  grades  are 
very  similar  to  the  standard  grades  of  beef  cattle. 

Butcher  Stock.  This  class  includes  the  better  grades  of 
heifers,  cows,  and  bulls,  and  common  and  inferior  steers.  Butcher 
stock  is  made  up  largely  of  cows  and  heifers. 

Cutters  and  Canners.  This  class  includes  thin  cows 
and  bulls,  and  inferior  steers  and  heifers.  In  fact  anything  of  a 
low,  inferior  grade  may  be  classed  as  cutters  or  canners. 

Stockers  and  Feeders.  This  class  includes  calves,  year- 
lings, two-year-olds,  and  older  cattle.  It  may  include  steers,  heif- 
ers, or  bulls. 

Veal  Calves.      This  class  includes  all  grades  of  veal  calves. 

Milkers  and  Springers.  As  cows  classed  as  Milkers  and 
Springers  are  intended  for  neither  slaughter  nor  further  feeding 
for  beef  production,  they  will  not  be  considered  in  this  bulletin. 
It  should  be  said  in  passing,  however,  that  many  cows  shipped 
to  the  market  as  milkers,  or  springers,  not  too  far  advanced  in 
pregnancy,  are  sold  in  the  market  as  butcher  stock  or  as  cutters  for 
more  money  than  they  would  have  brought  as  milk  cows.  The 
use  to  which  an  animal  is  put  after  being  sold  in  the  market  is  of 
no  interest  or  importance  to  the  shipper  or  the  firm  to  which  he 
consigns  his  stock.  If,  therefore,  a  milker  or  springer  will  net 
more  to  the  shipper  sold  as  a  beef  cow,  it  is  in  line  with  good  busi- 


I9°2,]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES    OF   CATTLE.  373 

ness  practice  so  to  dispose  of  her,  for  in  so  doing-  the  commission 
firm  satisfies  the  shipper. 

Within  these  classes,  cattle  are  graded  according-  to  quality, 
condition  and  weight.  The  first  division  of  the  cattle  market  is 
usually  headed  "Native  Beef  Cattle,"  or  more  commonly  with 
simply : 

BEEF  CATTLE. 

Under  this  head  are  quoted  all  grades  of  fat  steers  and  heifers 
that  have  received  sufficient  food  to  show  that  a  fairly  successful 
attempt  has  been  made  to  fatten  them.  This  class  includes  every- 
thing1 from  prime  steers,  to  the  common  rough  grade  of  steers.  It 
includes  everything-  from  the  heaviest  shipping  steers  to  the  light- 
est grades  of  dressed  beef,  export  and  shipping  steers. 

It  is  condition  and  quality  rather  than  weight  that  decide 
whether  a  steer  or  heifer  would  be  included  in  the  "  Beef  Cattle  " 
classification.  Thus  we  can  understand  how  an  800  pound  year- 
ling possessing  quality  and  finish  might  more  consistently  fall  un- 
der this  head  than  a  heavier,  plainer  steer  lacking  either  quality 
or  condition  or  both.  Fat  steers  and  heifers  are  in  demand  in  the 
Chicago  market  by  three  classes  of  buyers  ;  viz.,  exporters  for  the 
British  market,  packers  for  dressed  beef  slaughtered  in  Chicago, 
and  eastern  buyers  to  ship  for  slaughter  to  Boston,  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  Baltimore,  Cleveland,  Albany,  Detroit, 
and  many  smaller  cities.  The  packing  houses  use  by  far  the  larg- 
est number,  say  from  fifty  to  sixty  per  cent.,  while  exporters  and 
shippers  buying  for  out  of  town  slaughter  divide  the  remainder 
about  equally  between  them.  No  statement  can  be  made,  however, 
as  to  the  relative  number  used  either 'for  export,  dressed  beef,  or 
out  of  town  slaughter  that  will  be  correct  for  any  great  length  of 
time.  This  depends  largely  upon  the  supply  and  the  quality  of  the 
offerings,  and  to  a  considerable  extent  upon  the  demand  for  beeves 
both  for  domestic  use  and  for  export. 

Changes  in  the  cattle  market,  that  is,  as  to  weight,  quality, 
and  condition  demanded  by  certain  branches  of  the  trade,  seem  to 
have  been  overlooked  by  many  in  reporting  the  cattle  market. 
This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  the  export  trade.  At  pres- 
ent there  are  such  wide  variations  in  weight,  quality,  and  con- 
dition of  cattle  used  for  export,  shipping,  and  dressed  beef  that  the 
terms  "  export  steers  ",  "shipping  steers'1,  and  "dressed  beef 
steers  "  no  longer  stand  for  distinct  and  clearly  defined  types  or 
grades  of  cattle.  We  can  not,  therefore,  consistently  use  these 
terms  in  an  ideal  classification  of  the  market  grades  of  fat  cattle. 


374  BULLETIN  NO.  78. 

The  existence  of  these  facts  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  wise 
not  to  attempt  to  interpret  existing-  market  quotations,  but  to  ar- 
range a  classification  which  will  meet  the  requirements  of  the  pres- 
ent cattle  trade,  and  explain  fully  the  same  so  that  all  can  under- 
stand even  if  somewhat  unfamiliar  with  market  conditions  and  re- 
quirements. 

Since  it  is  quality  and  condition  that  most  regulate  price,  it 
would  seem  that  these  should  be  m'ade  the  basis  for  grading  cattle. 
With  such  a  basis  for  classification  one  would  expect  to  find  a  wide 
range  in  weight  in  the  different  grades  of  cattle,  while  variations 
in  quality  and  condition  within  such  grades  would  be  relatively 
narrow.  The  most  desirable  steers  for  export,  those  required  by 
packers  to  furnish  the  best  grades  of  beef,  and  the  better  grades  of 
shipping  steers  are  very  similiar  in  character. 

It  often  occurs  that  a  man  tops  the  market  for  the  day  with 
rather  a  plain  lot  of  cattle.  It  also  frequently  happens  that  a  load 
of  steers  of  prime  quality  does  not  bring  the  top  price.  In  the 
former  case  there  was,  doubtless,  not  a  prime  steer  on  the  market, 
a  condition  not  at  all  improbable;  and  in  the  latter  instance  it  is 
certain  there  was  a  liberal  supply  of  prime  steers,  in  which  case 
the  market-topping  load  would  not  only  have  to  be  prime,  but 
fancy.  Prime  steers  then,  not  market  toppers,  should  be  our  stan- 
dard of  excellence. 

The  following  grades  include  the  bulk  of  shipments  that  would 
be  classed  as  beef  cattle  : 

Prime  steers 1200  to  1600  Ib. 

Choice  steers 1 150  to  1600  Ib. 

Good  steers 1150  to  1600  Ib. 

Medium  steers 1 100  to  1400  Ib. 

Common  rough  steers 900  to  1200  Ib. 

The  terms,  prime,  choice,  good,  medium,  and  common,  refer  to 
the  quality  and  condition  of  cattle  in  the  market,  all  or  part  of 
which  may  properly  be  used  to  indicate  grades  within  any  class 
of  cattle. 

PRIME  STEERS. 

When  the  word  prime  is  used  to  designate  the  quality  and 
condition  of  cattle,  we  should  understand  it  is  the  very  best  grade 
of  the  class  unless  possibly  we  were  to  except  a  few  fancy  cattle 
of  show  yard  merit  that  occasionally  reach  the  market.  Prime 
steers  are  taken  largely  by  buyers  for  the  eastern  markets  and  by 
packers  for  the  dressed  beef  trade,  the  former  taking  the  bulk  of 
such  cattle.  Such  steers  are  practically  above  criticism  both  as  to 
quality  and  condition. 


I9O2-J  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF  CATTLE.  375 

A  moment's  reflection  will  convince  the  reader  that  the  omis- 
sion of  "  extra  "  from  the  name  for  the  best  grade  of  fat  steers  is 
justified  since  it  adds  nothing-  to  the  meaning  of  the  term  "  prime.  " 
It  will  undoubtedly  be  noted  that  the  grades,  "  choice  corn-fed 
yearlings  ",  and  good  corn-fed  yearlings  ",  have  also  been  dropped. 
In  general,  choice  corn-fed  and  good  corn-fed  yearlings  sell  as  well 
as  older  and  heavier  cattle  of  the  same  grades.  The  fact  is,  most, 
so-called  yearlings  are  two-year-olds.  They  sell  especially  well 
during-  the  months  of  April,  May,  and  June  and  for  home  (  not 
export  )  holiday  trade.  At  other  seasons  the  seller  may  expect  a 
slig-htly  lower  price  than  could  be  secured  for  heavier  cattle  of  the 
same  grade. 

The  prime  steer  should  present  conclusive  evidence  to  sight 
and  touch  that  he  possesses  to  a  high  degree  the  form,  condition, 
and  quality  demanded  by  the  dealer  in  high  class  beef. 

I.  Form. — The  butcher  demands  not  so  much  that  parallelo- 
gramic  form  popularly  spoken  of  by  many  authorities,  as  he  does  a 
high  state  of  development  in  loin,  crops,  back,  thighs,  twist, 
and  rump.  He  demands  development  in  these  regions  because 
they  are  the  parts  from  which  are  secured  the  high  priced  cuts. 
The  animal  should  show  plenty  of  depth  and  breadth  furnishing  a 
large  surface  for  flesh,  without  that  tendency  to  be  paunchy  which 
is  objectionable  to  the  butcher.  He  seeks  also,  smooth,  well  round- 
ed, general  outlines  which  indicate  both  thickness  and  evenness  of 
flesh  and  an  absence  of  a  tendency  to  be  rough  and  coarse  which 
would  mean  loss  to  him,  since  the  waste  in  the  dressing  of  a  rough, 
coarse  beast  would  be  out  of  proportion  with  the  weight  of  market- 
able beef.  Then,  too,  the  butcher  is  not  unmindful  of  the  fact 
that  having  secured  satisfactory  development  of  the  parts  from 
which  are  taken  the  high  priced  cuts,  there  is  an  added  value  in 
securing  thick,  even  flesh  throughout,  on  the  cheaper  as  well  as  on 
the  more  valuable  parts  of  the  carcass. 

To  the  untrained  eye,  an  unusual  development  of  loin,  crops, 
and  thighs  would  detract  from  the  beauty,  style,  and  gracefulness 
of  the  beast.  To  the  butcher,  such  development  would  increase 
rather  than  lessen  its  value.  It  should  be  clearly  borne  in  mind, 
therefore,  that  no  beauty  of  outline,  style,  or  gracefulness  of  car- 
riage will  ever  take  precedence  of  proper  development  in  the  most 
important  and  valuable  parts  of  the  bullock.  We  should  not 
assume,  however,  that  the  highest  development  in  these  most 
valuable  parts  is  incompatible  with  ideal  beef  form  ;  the  truth  of 
the  matter  is,  we  seldom  get  high  development  in  the  parts  from 
which  are  taken  the  high  priced  cuts  except  in  animals  which  are 


3?6  BULLETIN   NO.  78. 

symmetrically  developed.  It  is  entirely  consistent  and  desirable, 
therefore,  that  we  hold  up  as  our  ideal  standard  of  the  prime  steer 
a  combination  of  well  developed  parts  from  which  are  taken  the 
high  priced  cuts,  and  a  uniformly  high  development  in  all  parts 
capable  of  taking-  on  flesh  which  gives  to  the  animal  symmetry  and 
smoothness  of  outline,  that  style  and  that  beauty  otherwise  impos- 
sible. Correct  conformation  and  prime  condition  must  accompany 
each  other  in  order  to  secure  a  high  percentage  of  dressed  beef. 

II.  Quality  and  Condition.  Quality  may  be  considered  as  (1) 
general  quality  and  (2)  quality  of  flesh  and  condition  of  animal. 

(1)  General  quality.  General  quality  in  a  fat  steer  is  indi- 
cated by  a  medium  sized,  fine,  clean  cut,  breedy  featured  head, 
bearing-  ears  of  moderate  size  and  texture;  short  legs  with  clean, 
fine  bone  ;  a  fine  nicely  tapering  tail  ;  fine  hair  ;  a  pliable  skin  of 
medium  thickness,  and  smooth  well  rounded  outlines. 

(  2  )  Quality  of  flesh  and  condition  of  animal.  The  quality 
of  beef  depends  largely  upon  the  condition  of  the  animal.  By  con- 
dition we  refer  to  the  degree  of  fatness  of  a  bullock.  It  should  not  be 
assumed  however,  that  the  highest  quality  of  beef  is  found  in  the  fat- 
test beast.  There  are  three  principal  reasons  for  fattening  a  steer:  (a) 
In  order  that  when  dressed  there  will  not  be  a  high  percentage  of 
offal  and  other  waste,  as  a  fat  animal,  other  things  being  equal, 
will  dress  a  higher  percentage  of  carcass  than  a  half  fat  or  a  thin 
one,  and  furthermore,  in  the  fat  animal  the  proportion  of  those 
parts  which  from  their  very  nature  are  unsalable  is  reduced  to  the 
minimum;  (b)  in  order  that  the  flesh  or  lean  meat  shall  be  ren- 
dered more  tender,  juicy,  and  of  better  flavor  by  the  deposition  of 
fat  throughout  its  substance ;  (c)  in  order  to  permit  of  proper 
ripening  of  the  meat,  as  a  thin  carcass  being  full  of  moisture  and 
lacking  the  protection  of  a  covering  of  fat,  will  rot  before  it  will 
ripen. 

The  possibility  of  securing  the  highest  quality  in  beef  is  in- 
fluenced by  the  breeding  and  general  quality  of  the  animal.  Meth- 
ods both  of  growing  and  fattening  the  beast  also  influence  the 
quality  of  its  flesh.  There  is  too,  a  quality  of  flesh  which  is  pecul- 
iar to  the  individual  and  which  is  independent  both  of  breeding 
and  methods  of  feeding.  Desirable  quality  in  flesh  is  indicated  by 
a  firm  yet  mellow  and  springy  consistency  of  the  flesh  at  the  crops, 
along  the  back,  at  the  loins  and  even  on  the  sides,  beneath  the 
gentle  pressure  of  the  outstretched  hand.  Good  quality  of  flesh 
is  indicated  in  the  fat  steer  by  the  absence  of  ties  and  rolls,  or 
patches  of  gaudy,  flabby  fat. 

A  tendency  to  lay  on  fat  in  bunches  and  to  roll  at  the   loin   in- 


1902.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


377 


dicates  that  the  fat  has  been  deposited  in  large  masses  and  has 
not  been  so  evenly  distributed  throughout  the  animal  as  to  give  to 
the  flesh  that  marbled  character  so  necessary  to  the  highest  qual- 
ity in  beef.  An  animal  without  a  tendency  to  lay  on  fat  unevenly 
may  become  bunchy  about  the  tailhead  and  show  other  indications 
of  a  lack  of  a  well  marbled  condition  of  the  flesh  simply  by  being 
carried  to  the  point  of  excessive  fatness. 


Undoubtedly,  outstanding  coarseness  and  lack  of  general 
quality  in  the  live  animal  are  inseparably  linked  with  undesirable 
texture  in  the  beef  cut  from  such  a  beast.  Fullness  at  base  of 
tongue,  fullness  or  a  roll  of  fat  in  front  of  point  of  shoulder,  a  full 
twist,  a  large  mellow  cod,  a  low,  full,  thick  flank  that  stands  out 
and  rolls  visibly  as  the  animal  walks,  fullness  and  smoothness  at 
rump  and  tailhead  indicate  that  degree  of  fatness  which  is  essen- 
tial to  the  highest  quality  in  beef.  These  points  which  are  to  be 
judged  by  sight  rather  than  by  touch  are  the  ones  most  depended 
upon  by  buyers  at  the  yards.  If  a  close  examination  is  desirable 
and  possible  we  find  that  when  the  ends  of  the  fingers  are  gently 
pressed  into  the  flesh  on  the  side  of  the  beast  in  an  effort  to  find 
the  ribs,  there  should  be  a  firmness  of  flesh  that  does  not  admit  of 
freely  and  easily  forcing  the  fingers  to  or  between  them.  A  lack 
of  firmness  indicates  the  presence  of  too  large  a  proportion  of  fat, 
which  may  be  due  either  to  a  too  fat  or  overdone  condition  of  the 
animal  or  to  an  inherent  lack  of  flesh,  either  of  which  is  decidedly 


378 


BULLETIN   NO.    78 


[July, 


undesirable.  A  proper  degree  of  firmness  shows  the  presence  of 
plenty  of  flesh  or  lean  meat.  Such  an  examination  reveals  the 
quality  of  the  surface  flesh,  but  cannot  always  be  relied  upon  to 
determine  the  quality  of  the  beef  throughout  the  carcass. 

It  sometimes  occurs  that  a  steer  may  cut  too  fat  on  the  block 
and  yet  not  have  exhibited  on  foot  bunchiness  or  other  indications 
of  an  overdone  condition.  Animals  which  are  carried  to  an 
extreme  degree  of  fatness  as  is  seen  in  some  show  animals  and 
occasionally  among-  market  animals  give  evidence  of  an  overdone 
condition,  being  very  soft  in  flesh,  a  condition  which  often  passes 
into  a  very  hard  unyielding  one.  It  sometimes  happens,  too,  that 
certain  individual  animals  become  hard  in  the  surface  fat  without 
ever  having  shown  by  softness  of  their  flesh  that  they  were  ap- 
proaching an  overdone  condition.  There  is  such  a  thing,  however, 
as  an  animal  becoming  too  firm  in  the  flesh,  and  such  firmness 
indicating  an  overdone  condition. 


Prime  steers  weighing  from  1200  to  1400  pounds  are  wanted 
by  shippers,  by  packers,  and  by  exporters.  The  demand  for  steers 
of  these  weights  of  good,  choice,  and  medium  quality  is  greater 
than  for  steers  of  any  other  weight  ;  hence  the  market  is  least  like- 
ly to  be  overstocked  with  these  grades  and  especially  is  this  true 
with  the  steers  of  choice  and  prime  quality. 


1902]  MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  379 

It  is  as  difficult  as  it  is  unnecessary  to  decide  whether  form, 
condition,  or  quality  is  of  greatest  importance  to  the  butcher.  The 
main  point  to  bear  in  mind  is,  that  an  animal  characteristically  de- 
ficient in  any  one  of  the  above  requirements  is  disqualified  to  meet 
the  full  demands  of  the  dealer  in  high  class  beef  and,  consequently 
is  not  to  be  considered  as  a  prime  steer.  Whether  a  lack  of  quality 
or  a  lack  of  condition  is  more  evident  in  the  cattle  seen  at  the  Un- 
ion Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  depends  largely  upon  the  prevailing- 
prices  for  food-stuffs  and  the  prices  for  cattle  on  foot.  When  hig-h 
prices  for  food-stuffs  have  prevailed  for  some  time  and  when  mark- 
et prices  for  cattle  have  been  ruling  high  the  tendency  among  feed- 
ers is  to  send  their  cattle  to  market  in  a  half-fat  condition  in  order 
to  take  advantage  of  the  prevailing  high  prices  and  avoid  feed- 
ing too  much  high  priced  food-stuffs,  in  which  case  many  cattle 
would  lack  condition  rather  than  quality.  See  Plate  1. 

CHOICE  STEERS. 

If  a  steer  is  not  quite  rig-ht  either  as  to  quality  or  condition,  but 
still  possesses  to  a  marked  degree  the  characteristics  most  sought 
by  packers,  shippers,  and  exporters,  he  is  called  a  choice  steer.  To 
be  choice,  a  steer  cannot  be  much  short  of  prime  either  as  to  qual- 
ity or  condition,  in  other  words,  it  takes  outstanding  quality  and 
condition  in  a  bullock  to  grade  as  choice.  As  the  term  indicates, 
he  is  chcice,  yet  falls  short  of  the  finish  and  quality  characteristic 
of  a  prime  bullock.  A  few  prime  or  choice  heifers  in  loads  with 
steers  of  the  same  grade  often  sell  with  the  steers  at  a  uniform 
price.  See  Plate  2. 

GOOD  STEERS. 

Good  fat  steers  may  be  of  very  good  quality,  but  noticeably  lack- 
ing in  condition  or  in  finish  ;  they  may  be  finished  or  in  prime 
condition,  yet  lacking  in  quality  ;  or  they  may  be  noticeably  de- 
ficient in  both  quality  and  condition,  but  still  good  enough  to  be 
above  the  average  grade  of  fat  cattle  reaching  the  market.  By  far 
the  largest  number  of  steers  belonging  to  the  good  grade  may  be 
spoken  of  as  being  a  little  on  the  coarse  order  ;  they  are  quite  fat 
and  of  good  weight,  but  rather  plain.  See  Plate  4. 

MEDIUM  STEERS. 

Steers  of  the  medium  grade  are  of  about  average  quality  and 
condition  lacking  to  a  marked  degree  that  finish  and  quality  de- 
manded in  a  prime  steer.  Steers  of  this  grade  are  usually  of  light 
weight.  Medium  steers  are  generally  too  paunchy  and  too  lack- 


380 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


(July, 


HATE  2. -CHOICE'  STEER 


MARKET    CLASSES    AND    GRADES    OF   CATTLE. 


381 


382 


BULLETIN  NO.  78. 


Uu/y, 


I9O2.J  MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES  OF   CATTLE.  383 

ing-  in  condition  and  quality  to  dress  a  high  percentage  of  beef  or 
show  a  good  proportion  of  fat.  The  beef  from  such  steers  is  not 
good  enough  to  meet  the  demands  of  dealers  in  beef  of  the  best 
quality,  nor  is  the  proportion  of  the  high  priced  cuts  large  ;  hence, 
packers,  shippers,  and  exporters  can  not  afford  to  pay  the  prices 
prevailing-  for  prime,  choice,  and  g-ood  steers.  See  Plate  5. 

COMMON  ROUGH  STEERS. 

It  would  seem  more  consistent  to  class  Common  Rough  Steers 
as  Butcher  Stock,  and  they  often  are  although  not  invariably,  so 
classed.  A  great  many  common,  rough,  fat  cattle  are  bought  by 
packers  and  by  shippers  for  Pittsburgh  Alleg-heny,  Cleveland,  Balti- 
more, and  other  markets.  Such  cattle  are  often  called  "pluggy''  in 
the  market,  weighing-  from  900  to  1200  pounds.  They  lack  both 
that  quality  and  condition  which  characterize  the  better  grades  of 
fat  cattle,  being-  especially  deficient  in  quality.  As  is  indicated  by 
the  name  of  the  grade,  they  are  rough  and  coarse.  They  are  not 
capable  of  taking-  on  a  hig-h,  smooth  finish  like  steers  of  g-ood 
quality.  See  Plate  3. 

Fat  heifers  and  cows  may  belong-  to  any  one  of  the  above 
grades,  but  unless  of  the  prime,  choice,  or  good  grades  they  would 
always  be  classed  as  butcher  stock  ;  and  even  the  prime,  choice,  or 
g-ood  grades  of  heifers  would  be  so  classed  except  in  cases  where 
shipped  to  the  market  in  loads  containing-  a  relatively  much  larg-er 
number  of  steers. 

Spayed  heifers  usually  command  a  price  from  within  twenty- 
five  to  fifty  cents  per  hundred  weight  of  as  much  as  steers  of  equal 
quality  and  condition.  The  discrimination  ag-ainst  open  heifers 
is  still  greater  because  of  the  possibility  of  their  lacking  condition, 
the  danger  of  their  being  pregnant,  or  of  dressing-  out  dark  in  the 
flesh  if  slaughtered  when  in  heat.  Heifers  are  used  mainly  by 
Chicago  packers  for  dressed  beef,  although  a  small  percentage  of 
the  best  heifers  are  used  for  export.  Heifers  as  a  rule  run  too  light 
in  weight  to  warrant  the  expense  of  shipment.  Except  as  noted 
above,  cows  and  bulls  of  whatever  grade  are  classed  as  butcher 
stock. 

SHIPPING,  EXPORT,  AND  DRESSED  BEEF  CATTLE. 

These  three  terms  are  frequently  understood  to  mean  definite 
-classes  of  cattle.  Such  is  not  the  case.  They  refer  rather  to  the 
three  principal  uses  made  of  cattle  sold  in  the  markets  for  beef  and 
include  several  classes  and  many  different  grades. 

Before   taking  up  the  butcher  stock  class,  it  may  be  well  to 


384  BULLETIN   NO.   78. 

give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  classes  and  grades  of  cattle  which 
are  exported,  those  used  for  shipping  for  out  of  town  slaughter, 
and  those  used  for  local  slaughter  commonly  spoken  of  as  dressed 
beef  steers. 

EXPORT  CATTLE. 

The  bulk  of  cattle  exported  belong  to  the  good  and  choice 
grades  of  steers  and  weigh  from  1200  to  1500  pounds.  As  com- 
pared with  the  total  number  of  beef  animals  exported,  compara- 
tively few  prime  steers  are  bought  for  export.  Their  relatively 
high  price  in  our  markets  is  prohibitive,  or  at  any  rate  renders 
their  exportation  less  profitable  than  that  of  the  good  and  choice 
grades.  For  the  Christmas  market  there  is  an  active  demand  for 
a  limited  number  of  prime  steers  of  strong  weights,  say  about 
1500  pounds.  At  other  seasons  the  lighter  weights,  from  1200  to 
1400  pounds  are  preferred.  While  1200  pound  steers  are  a  trifle  light 
in  weight  to  meet  the  demand  of  exporters,  they  are  often  taken 
in  preference  to  steers  weighing  1500  pounds  or  more,  provided,  of 
course,  their  quality  and  condition  are  satisfactory.  If  a  weight 
were  to  be  fixed  upon  as  being  the  most  desirable  for  export  at  the 
present  time,  it  would  be  1350  pounds.  Exporters  neither  buy  the 
best  nor  yet  the  cheapest  grade  of  fat  cattle. 

It  is  not  at  all  strange  that  we  have  come  to  look  upon  export 
steers  as  among  the  best  of  our  fat  cattle  for  they  are  generally 
above  the  average  grade.  It  is  an  entirely  erroneous  impression* 
however,  and  one  that  has  become  quite  general  among  beef  pro- 
ducers that  nearly  all  of  our  prime  steers  are  exported,  leaving  the 
cheaper  grades  for  home  consumption  and  that  none  other  than 
prime  steers  are  exported.  Cattle  bought  for  the  London  trade  are 
invariably  of  a  better  quality  and  finish,  as  well  as  of  heavier 
weights  than  those  purchased  for  the  Liverpool  and  Glasgow 
markets,  the  latter  take  a  cheaper,  plainer  grade.  The  London 
market  gets  about  a  ship  load  of  good  to  choice  steers  from  the 
United  States  every  week. 

SHIPPING  STEERS. 

The  bulk  of  the  shipping  steers  are  made  up  of  the  medium  and 
good  grades  of  cattle  ranging  in  weight  from  1150  to  1600  pounds 
although  buyers  for  the  eastern  trade  are  always  on  the  market  for 
choice  and  prime  steers  ;  those  from  Boston  giving  the  preference 
in  their  purchases  to  the  heavier  consignments,  that  is,  steers 
weighing  from  1500  to  1600  pounds.  Steers  of  such  weight  pos- 
sessing high  quality  and  finish  are  eagerly  sought  by  shippers  and 
command  "good  strong  prices,''  unless  in  too  liberal  supply,  as 
sometimes  happens  during  seasons  when  corn  and  other  food-stuffs 


1902.  J  MARKET   CLASSES  AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  385 

are  cheap.  Not  a  very  large  number  of  such  steers  is  wanted,  as 
eastern  buyers  do  not  buy  large  numbers  of  cattle  as  compared 
with  local  packers  ;  hence,  too  liberal  a  supply  when  food  is  cheap 
is  a  frequent  occurrence.  When  such  a  condition  exists,  prices  for 
good  to  choice  heavy  shipping  steers  are  no  better  and  sometimes 
a  little  less  than  for  prime  steers  of  the  lighter,  handy-weight 
grades,  say  from  1200  to  1400  pounds.  The  demand  for  this  class 
of  cattle  is  more  constant  and  steady  than  the  supply.  Under  nor- 
mal conditions  as  to  market  and  price  of  food-stuffs  there  is  a 
steady  demand  for  this  class  of  cattle  at  a  strong  price.  Naturally 
enough  the  packers  need  some  heavy  carcasses,  but  they  are  sel- 
dom obliged  to  make  any  special  effort  to  buy  them  as  they  secure 
a  sufficient  supply  from  the  lighter  weight  lots  which  they 
purchase.  Boston  is  the  best  buyer  on  the  Chicago  market  for 
heavy  steers,  taking  from  ten  to  fifteen  loads  per  week.  These 
heavy  weight  cattle  are  not  the  only  ones  taken  by  the  shippers  as 
they  buy  cattle  ranging  in  weight  from  1150  to  1500  pounds  of  the 
the  medium,  good,  choice,  and  the  prime  grades  of  steers.  There 
is  a  limited  demand  the  year  round  for  prime  1200  to  1300  pound 
cattle  for  the  high  class  New  York  trade,  and  it  may  be  said  there 
is  no  trade  more  discriminating  as  to  quality  and  condition,  nor 
any  more  willing  to  pay  good  strong  prices  for  fat  cattle  that  meet 
its  requirements.  There  is  no  city  in  the  world,  unless  possibly  it 
is  London,  that  uses  so  many  prime  steers  as  New  York.  The  ex- 
treme weights  for  shipping  steers  are  from  1000  to  1700  pounds. 
The  bulk,  which  include  steers  of  the  most  desirable  weight,  are 
between  1200  to  1450. 

DRESSED  BEEF  CATTLE. 

The  grades  of  cattle  used  for  dressed  beef  by  the  Chicago 
packers  are  so  various  that  it  is  difficult  to  select  those  which 
could  be  said  to  fairly  represent  the  types  most  in  demand.  It  is 
true  that  there  is  a  wider  range  in  weight,  quality,  and  condition, 
among  cattle  bought  for  Chicago  slaughter  than  among  those  pur- 
chased for  shipping  or  for  export. 

The  export  grades  are  confined  within  the  most  narrow  limits 
both  as  to  quality,  condition,  and  weight.  Shipping  steers  vary 
more  than  export  steers,  but  much  less  than  the  cattle  bought  by 
packers.  In  the  shipping  class  we  find  a  much  wider  range  of 
weight,  quality,  and  condition  than  in  export  cattle,  yet  the  varia- 
tions are  not  so  great  as  among  beef  cattle  bought  by  Chicago 
packers.  While  perhaps  no  trade  demands  a  better  grade  of  cattle 
than  packers,  it  is  equally  true  that  no  trade  can  use  so  advantage- 


3^6  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  [Jufy, 

ously  the  medium  and  poorer  grades.  Generally  speaking1,  pack- 
ers will  buy  anything  in  the  line  of  cattle  when  there  exists  a 
proper  relation  between  the  price  per  pound  live  weight  and  their 
killing  qualities.  It  is  an  open  question  whether  packers  or  east- 
ern buyers  are  more  discriminating  as  to  quality  and  condition 
when  both  are  on  the  market  for  prime  bullocks.  Packers  have  a 
steady  demand  throughout  the  year  for  the  best  grades  of  fat  cat- 
tle to  supply  high  class  local  and  out  of  town  trade,  while  the  de- 
mand for  cheap  beef  from  the  mining  and  lumber  camps  requires 
them  to  make  extensive  purchases  of  the  cheaper  grades  of  cattle. 
For  the  export  dressed  beef  trade  packers  buy  well  fatted  steers  of 
the  good  grade  ranging  in  weight  from  1200  to  1400  pounds.  When 
cattle  are  in  light  supply  and  packers  are  short  of  the  poorer 
grades  they  clean  up  the  "  stocker  alleys,  "  buying  anything,  as 
they  say  "that  has  any  kill  to  it."  The  extreme  range  of  weight 
in  steers  purchased  for  dressed  beef  would  be  from  800  pounds  for 
good  corn-fed  yearlings  to  1700  pound  steers  of  all  grades.  The 
bulk  are  wanted  between  1200  and  1400  pounds  of  the  medium, 
good,  and  choice  grades. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  general  classification,  no  maxi- 
mum weight  is  given  above  1600  pounds.  Comparatively  speaking 
but  few  lots  of  cattle  reach  the  market  exceeding  this  weight ; 
hardly  enough  to  warrant  making  the  maximum  weight  in  every 
instance  1700  pounds.  Then  again  since  there  is  nothing  to  be 
gained  in  making  a  steer  weigh  1700  pounds  unless  possibly  some 
steers  cannot  be  finished  short  of  that  weight,  and  even  then  a 
feeder  must  be  very  fortunately  situated  indeed  if  he  can  make  a 
profit  from  the  feeding  of  steers  that  can  not  be  finished  short  of 
that  weight,  there  is  abundant  reason  for  failing  to  recognize  the 
existence  of  such  cattle.  The  sooner  breeders  and  feeders  fully  ap- 
preciate these  facts  the  better  for  their  financial  interests. 

The  best  way  to  become  familiar  with  the  various  grades  of 
cattle  and  their  selling  qualities  is  for  the  feeder  to  follow  his  ship- 
ments to  the  market  where  the  value  of  his  cattle  will  soon  be 
known.  One  should  first  study  the  characteristics  of  the  prime 
steer,  a  thorough  understanding  of  which  will  furnish  the  best 
standard  for  comparison  and  study  of  the  grades  lower  in  quality 
and  condition.  The  description  of  the  characteristics  of  the  prime 
steer  given  elsewhere  in  this  bulletin  will  be  found  helpful  in  this 
study,  and  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  at  all  times  that  this  descrip- 
tion will  answer  for  export,  shipping,  and  dressed  beef  steers  of 
the  prime  grade. 


IQ02.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


387 


3&8  .  BULLETIN  NO.  78. 

BABY  BEEF,  DISTILLERS,  AND  TEXAS  CATTLE. 

;  The  terms,  "baby  beef  ",  "  distillers  ",  and  "  Texas  and  West- 
ern rang-e  cattle",  are  often  looked  upon  as  distinct  classes  while  in 
reility  they  are  subdivisions  of  the  beef  cattle  class.  Except  in 
case  of  baby  beef,  which  is  confined  to  the  choice  and  prime  grades, 
they  vary  in  quality  and  condition  as  do  other  beef  cattle  and  their 
grades  are  the  same.  A  brief  note  is  appended  that  will  serve  to 
define  these  terms. 

BABY  BEEF. 

Baby  beef  is  a  term  applied  to  a  grade  of  steers,  choice  or  prime 
in  quality  and  condition  with  a  conformation  that  accompanies 
steers  of  good  killing  qualities.  To  grade  as  baby  beef  such  steers 
should  be  between  one  and  two  years  of  age  and  weigh  from  800 
1000  pounds.  Such  cattle  grade  as  choice  or  prime  and  are  quoted 
as  such  in  the  market.  See  Plate  6. 

.(      :  .  ,    - 

DISTILLERS. 

1  Distillers  or  "  Still  "  cattle  are  cattle  which  have  been  fed  on 
the  by-products  of  distilleries.  Formerly  parties  desiring  feeding 
cattle  to  consume  the  residues  of  distilleries  purchased  only  the 
poorer  grades  of  feeding  bulls,  stags,  and  steers.  Some  parties 
now,  however,  use  a  better  grade  of  feeders.  When  sent  to  the 
market  they  are  preferred  to  other  cattle,  of  the  same  grades  be- 
cause they  dress  a  higher  percentage  of  beef,  owing  to  their  carry- 
ing a  small  amount  of  offal.  During  the  fattening  process  their 
paunches  have  been  reduced  in  size.  Practically  all  "  Still  "  cat- 
tle are  classed  as  beef  cattle  ;  only  occasionally  are  any  poor  enough 
to  be  classed  and  sold  as  butcher  stock.  Distillers  are  used  for 
dressed  beef  and  export  either  alive  or  dead.  Plate  20  shows  a 
load  of  good  distillery-fed  bulls  that  were  sold  for  export. 

TEXAS  AND  WESTERN  RANGE  CATTLE. 

A  few  years  ago  Texas  cattle  were  a  class  as  distinct  as  any 
reaching  the  Chicago  market.  They  were  distinguished  by  their 
long  horns  and  legs,  their  thin  flesh,  narrow  bodies  and  large  deep 
brands.  To-day  the  noticeably  long-horned  Texan  is  rarely  seen 
in  the  Chicago  market.  At  the  present  time  many  Texas  cattle 
have  such  a  high  percentage  of  the  blood  of  the  improved  beef 
breeds  that  such  of  them  as  are  not  of  a  polled  breed,  or  dehorned, 
possess  horns  of  short  or  of  medium  length  ;  thus  they  attract  but 
little  attention  and  receive  much  less  adverse  criticism  than  for- 
merly when  they  were  the  butt  of  ridicule.  They  now  frequently 


igo2.]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  389 

have  the  low-down  blocky  form  too,  which  indicates  that  they  have 
descended  from  the  best  strains  of  beef  producing-  ancestry.  They 
aije  often  as  well  bred  and  of  as  heavy  weights  as  native  steers. 
The  proportion  of  well  bred  stock  cattle  in  Texas  is  rapidly  in- 
creasing-. 

The  term  "  Texas  cattle"  is,  therefore,  no  longer  necessarily 
indicative  of  an  inferior  grade  of  fat  cattle,  while  it  is  still  true 
that  'there  is  an  exceedingly  wide  range  between  the  best  and 
poorest.  The  range  in  quality,  condition,  and  price  is  greater, 
perhaps,  than  in  any  other  class  of  cattle  reaching  the  market,  the 
best  occasionally  showing  the  quality  and  finish  of  our  native 
steers  and  selling  for  prices  but  little,  if  any,  below  the  prices 
quoted  for  prime  native  steers.  In  such  instances  they  are,  of 
course,  used  for  the  same  purposes,  except  that  they  are  seldom 
exported.  Some  Texas  cattle  have  been  exported  from  Galveston, 
largely,  however,  to  Cuba.  The  lower  grades  of  Texans  go  for 
canners. 

;  The  quality,  finish,  and  method  of  feeding  being  the  same, 
buyers  make  but  little  difference,  say  from  ten  to  fifteen  cents  per 
hundred  pounds,  between  Texas  and, western  range  cattle  and 
natives,  although  they  try  to  discriminate  against  the  former. 
Whether  they  are  able  to  do  so,  and  whether  such  discrimination 
amounts  to  much  depends  upon  the  available  supply  of  fat  cattle. 
It  is  not  an  infrequent  occurrence  to  hear  buyers  and  salesmen  in 
the  Texas  division  of  the  yards  drop. the  remark  that  "If  those 
cattle  had  been  in  the  native  division  they  would  have  brought 
more  money."  Of  course,  there  is  always  a  slight  discrimination 
against  branded  cattle  on  account  of  the  brands  injuring  the  value 
of  the  hides.  There  is  less  competition  among  buyers  for  Texas 
cattle  than  for  natives.  In  general,  however,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  same  quality  and  condition  in  western  range  cattle  bring  about 
the  same  money  as  natives  except  in  the  early  season  when  grass 
is  flush  and  washy. 

Texas  cattle  coming  from  north  of  the  quarantine  line  sell 
better  than  those  coming  from  south  of  the  line.  Texas  cattle 
coming  from  south  of  the  quarantine  line  are  sold  in  the  Texas 
division  while  those  coming  from  north  of  the  line  and  from  the 
western  ranges  are  sold  in  the  native  division.  Western  range 
cattle  are  classed  with  Texas  cattle  because  they  were  formerly 
largely  made  up  of  cattle  which  had  been  wintered  on  ranges  north  of 
the  quarantine  line.  Many,  perhaps  about  one-half,  of  the  cattle  on 
the  ranges  of  the  west  and  north-west  are  now  bred  there  ;  hence 
the  cattle  coming  from  ranges  are  not  altogether  cattle  that  have 


39° 


BULLETIN  NO.  78. 


[July, 


1902.] 


MARKET  CLASSES    AND    GRADES    OF   CATTLE. 


391 


392  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  {July, 

been  shipped  there  from  Texas  or  other  states  in  the  south-western 
district.  Then  again,  more  feeding-  is  going-  on  in  the  south- 
western states  owing-  largely  to  the  more  extensive  use  of  cotton- 
seed meal  for  fattening  purposes.  This,  of  course,  has  materially 
reduced  the  available  number  of  stock  cattle  for  corn  belt  feed  lots 
from  south-western  ranges.  The  western  range  cattle  that  are 
Texas  or  southern  cattle  brought  north  and  ranged  for  one  or  two 
seasons  are  often  spoken  of  as  "  Montana-Texans,"  ''Wyomiog- 
Texans,"  "  Dakota-Texans,"  etc.,  or  in  case  exactness  is  desired,— 
"  single-wintered  Montana-Texans,''  or  "double-wintered  Montana- 
Texans,"  as  the  case  may  be,  to  distinguish  them  from  western 
range  cattle  bred  on  the  ranges. 

All  Texas  and  western  range  cattle  are  branded  and  they  are 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  "branded  cattle."  The  strict  interpreta- 
tion of  the  term  "western  rangers,"  is,  western  cattle  shipped  to 
the  market  off  the  range,  or  in  other  words,  "grass  westerns." 
The  "range  season"  varies  somewhat  from  year  to  year,  but  ordi- 
narily begins  about  the  middle  of  July  and  closes  the  fifteenth  of 
November.  It  is  during  this  season  that  the  bulk  of  grass  westerns 
reach  the  market.  There  is  another  kind  of  western  cattle,  namely, 
"  fed  westerns.''  Fed  westerns  include  range  cattle  which  have 
been  shipped  into  Illinois,  Iowa,  or  other  feeding  states  and  there 
fattened.  The  accompanying  cuts  are  given  to  illustrate  the 
improvement  wrought  on  a  Texas  ranch  during  five  years  by 
the  persistent  use  of  good  Shorthorn  bulls.  Plate  7  shows  a  drove 
of  Texans  sold  on  the  Chicago  market  six  years  ago.  Plate  8 
shows  a  drove  from  the  ranch  sent  to  the  Chicago  market  about  a 
year  ago. 

BUTCHER  STOCK. 

Butcher  stock,  cutters  and  canners  may  be  looked  upon  by  cat- 
tle men  of  the  central  west  as  by-products  of  the  cattle  feeding  in- 
dustry. However  carefully  stockers  and  feeders  are  selected  one 
is  almost  sure  to  get  a  few  animals  that  do  not  fatten  satisfactorily. 
These  ultimately  find  their  way  to  the  local  or  Chicago  market  ; 
in  either  case  they  would  be  classed  as  butcher  stock. 

Not  all  butcher  stock,  however,  has  had  an  opportunity  to  become 
finished.  Quite  a  large  number  of  cattle  of  all  grades  as  to  weight 
and  quality  reach  the  market  after  having  been  only  "  warmed  up  '' 
an  expression  that  is  applied  to  thinnish  cattle  that  have  been 
full-fed  but  a  short  time,  during  which  time  they  have  made  such 
gains  that  they  begin  to  show  the  effects  of  feeding.  Such  cattle 
are  usually  classed  as  butcher  stock. 


1902.]  MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  393 

The  line  between  the  thinner  steers  belonging1  to  the  butcher 
stock  class  and  fleshy  stockers  and  feeders  is  not  clearly  defined. 
Whether  a  thin  steer  belongs  to  the  butcher  stock  or  the  stockers 
and  feeder  class  will  depend  largely  upon  the  supply  of  cattle  of 
the  better  grades  although  the  quality  of  the  offerings  may  have 
some  influence  upon  the  final  disposition  of  such  animals.  If  the 
supply  of  fat  cattle  is  much  short  of  the  demand,  buyers  of  cattle 
for  slaughter  are  forced  to  take  some  of  the  thinner  grades,  that 
would  ordinarily  be  classed  as  stockers  and  feeders.  Then  again 
when  there  is  a  liberal  supply  of  fat  cattle  some  rather  well-fleshed 
lots  sell  as  stockers  and  feeders.  In  the  former  case  cattle  of  the  thin- 
ner grades  are  slaughtered  and  prices  are  paid  for  them  that  feed- 
ers do  not  see  their  way  clear  to  pay  ;  while  in  the  latter  instance 
feeders  are  more  liberal  buyers  owing  to  the  more  moderate  prices 
prevailing  for  such  stock.  The  better  the  quality  of  the  offerings 
the  more  apt  they  are  to  be  used  for  further  feeding.  It  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  bulk  of  butcher  stock  is  made  up  of  cows 
and  heifers. 

In  general,  very  few  steers  of  good  quality  are  ever  classed  as 
butcher  stock.  A  steer  of  good  or  choice  quality  that  is  not  fat 
enough  to  be  classed  as  a  beef  steer  is  classed  among  the  better 
grades  of  stockers  and  feeders.  We  find  much  better  quality  in  butch- 
er heifers  than  among  butcher  steers.  Butcher  stock  then  includes, 
so  far  as  steers  are  concerned,  only  the  poorer  grades  such  as  com- 
mon rough  steers  that  may  be  classed  either  as  beef  cattle,  butfcher 
stock,  or  stockers  and  feeders,  the  classification  depending  upon 
the  supply  and  demand  for  the  various  classes  of  cattle.  Owing 
to  their  lack  of  quality  they  are  seldom  used  as  feeders. 

The  bulk  of  butcher  stock  is  made  up  of  fat  cows,  heifers  and 
bulls  ;they  are  graded  as  follows  : 

Prime  heifers 800-1200  Ib. 

Choice  heifers 700-1000  Ib. 

Good  heifers 700-1000  Ib. 

Medium  heifers 600-  900  Ib. 

Prime  cows 

Choice  cows 

Good  cows 

Medium  cows 

Common  rough  steers .' 800-1200  Ib. 

Choice  bulls 

Good  bulls 

Medium  bulls ... 

PRIME  HEIFERS. 

The  same  conformation,  quality,  and  condition  are  demanded 
in  prime  heifers  that  have  already  been  noted  as  characteristic  of 


394  BULLETIN  NO.  78. 

prime  steers.       See  discussion  of  the  characteristics   of   the    prime 
steer,  also  PJate  9. 

CHOICE  HEIFERS. 

Choice  heifers  must  possess  quality,  and  condition  to  a  marked 
degree  although  they  lack  the  faultless  quality  and  finish  that 
characterize  prime  heifers.  They  are  good  enough  to  convert  into 
the  better  grades  of  block  beef.  To  secure  the  necessary  quality 
to  be  classed  in  this  grade  they  must  show  unmistakable  evidence 
of  carrying-  a  high  percentage  of  the  blood  of  some  one  or  more  of 
the  breeds  of  beef  cattle.  Plate  10. 

GOOD  HEIFERS. 

Good  heifers  may  and  usually  do  lack  both  in  condition  and 
quality,  althoug-h  a  heifer  of  choice  quality  might  be  classed  as  a 
good  heifer  simply  because  she  was  deficient  in  condition.  Good 
heifers  must  have  a  conformation  that  indicates  that  they  will 
dress  out  a  good  percentage  of  beef  and  fat.  Plate  11. 

MEDIUM  HEIFERS. 

As  a  usual  thing  it  requires  better  heifers  as  to  quality,  con- 
dition, and  conformation  to  grade  as  medium  heifers  than  it  does 
in  steers  to  grade  as  medium  steers.  Such  heifers  seldom  show 
much  quality  and  invariably  show  a  decided  lack  of  flesh.  The 
bulk  of  medium  heifers  like  medium  steers  are  light  weight.  Plate  12 . 

PRIME  Cows. 

This  grade  includes  a  very  small  number  of  strictly  fancy, 
well  bred  cows  in  prime  condition.  Such  cows  are  often  taken  for 
export.  They  are  the  only  grade  of  cows  on  the  market  which  are 
not  open  to  criticism  by  buyers  wanting  fat  cows  ;  in  other  words 
they  are  practically  above  criticism  as  to  conformation,  quality, 
and  condition.  These  cows  are  often  used  by  packers  for  the  same 
purposes  for  which  they  use  steers.  Plate  13. 

CHOICE  Cows. 

Cows  of  this  grade  must  be  in  prime  condition,  but  may  lack 
some  of  the  quality  and  breeding  shown  by  prime  cows  ;  they  are 
fit  for  export  and  on  some  markets  sell  for  nearly  as  much  as  choice 
heifers.  Frequently  a  few  choice  cows  like  choice  heifers  are 
shipped  to  market  in  the  same  car  with  steers  and  sell  for  a  uniform 
price  in  which  case  they  may  be  used  for  the  same  purposes. 
Plate  14. 

GOOD  Cows. 

Good  cows  lack  both  in  condition  and  quality.  They  are  fat 
enough,  however,  to  make  carcass  beef  and  possess  a  conformation 
which  indicates  that  they  are  reasonably  good  killers.  To  bring  an 


IQO2. 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


395 


396. 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[Jnty, 


1902.]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  397 

average  market  price  they  must,  of  course,  be  considerably  better 
than  the  average  butcher  stock  cows.     Plate  15. 

MEDIUM  Cows. 

Medium  cows  are  sometimes  called  "  beef  cows  "  to  distinguish 
them  from  cutters.  Such  cows  are  decidedly  lacking-  in  form,  con- 
dition, and  quality.  They  belong  to  the  lowest  grade  of  cows, 
the  carcasses  of  which  may  all  >b'e  used  to  sell  over  the  block. 
Plate  16. 

COMMON  ROUGH  STEERS. 

Steers  of  this  grade  lack  very  noticeably  in  form,  quality,  and 
condition.  Ideal  beef  form  is  not  looked  for  in  common  rough 
steers.  Whether  a  lack  of  quality  or  condition  is  more  apparent 
depends  upon  market  and  crop  conditions.  Generally  speaking  a 
lack  of  quality  is  the  more  apparent.  (  Refer  to  description  of 
common  rough  steers  in  beef  cattle  class,  also  Plate  3.  ) 

CHOICE  BULLS. 

To  be  choice,  bulls  must  possess  quality  or  beef  blood  to  a  high 
degree  and  along  with  that  quality  should  go  fine  finish.  Compara- 
tively few  choice  bulls  reach  the  Chicago  market  and  when  they 
do,  they  are  frequently  bought  for  export.  About  one-third  of  the 
choice  bulls  are  used  for  dressed  beef.  They  must  be  entirely  free 
from  that  roughness  and  coarseness  which  characterize  so  many 
aged  bulls.  The  supply  of  choice  bulls  is  made  up  largely  of  aged 
bulls.  Plate  17. 

GOOD  BULLS. 

Good  bulls  contain  a  high  percentage  of  beef  blood,  or  at  any 
rate  they  carry  the  flesh  and  show  the  conformation  which  usually 
accompany  well  bred  beef  bulls.  They  frequently  lack  both  in 
quality  and  condition,  but  a  decided  lack  of  either  may  furnish 
sufficient  reason  for  their  being  classed  as  good  and  not  as  choice 
bulls.  Bulls  of  this  class  are  often  exported.  Plates  18  and  20. 

MEDIUM  BULLS. 

Medium  bulls  lack  both  condition  and  quality  to  a  marked 
degree.  They  are  usually  thin  fleshed,  long  legged,  coarse  fellows. 
They  are  too  good  to  be  classed  either  as  Bologna  bulls  or  canners 
and  still  inferior  both  as  to  quality  and  condition.  This  is  the  lowest 
grade  of  bulls  used  for  block  beef.  The  line  between  medium 
butcher  bulls  and  Bologna  bulls  is  not  definitely  drawn.  It  varies 
from  time  to  time  with  the  demand  for  butcher  stock  and  Bologna, 
bulls.  Plate  19. 


398 


BULLETIN    NO.   78. 


{July, 


IQ02.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


399 


400 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[July, 


IQ02.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


401 


402  BULLETIN   NO.   78. 

STAGS. 

Stags  are  not  included  in  the  market  classification  because 
relatively  only  a  few  are  coming"  to  market.  In  the  few  sent  for- 
ward there  is  a  great  range  of  quality,  condition,  and  weight. 
Some  of  the  better  grades  are  exported,  while  the  most  inferior 
offerings  go  for  canners.  Plate  28  shows  a  choice  stag  which  went 
for  export  and  would  be  good  enough  for  the  better  grades  of 
dressed  beef. 

CUTTERS  AND  CANNERS. 

The  impression  prevails  among  those  unfamiliar  with  the  trade 
that  only  old,  thin  cows  are  classed  as  canners  and  this  inexperi- 
ience  naturally  renders  such  unable  to  appreciate  the  variations 
that  exist  in  the  value  of  different  individuals  in  the  same  class. 
The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  wretchedly  thin  fleshed  bulls,  steers 
and  heifers  as  well  as  cows  are  included  in  this  class.  An  attempt 
to  become  familiar  with  this  branch  of  the  cattle  trade  will  quick- 
ly reveal  the  fact  that  like  the  buying  and  selling  of  other  classes 
of  cattle  the  buying  and  selling  of  canners  and  cuttters  requires  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  this  class  of  cattle  and  the  purposes  for 
which  they  are  used.  It  is  a  mistake  to  assume  that  there  is  only 
one  grade  of  canners  and  cutters  for  there  are  several  and  each  is 
as  distinctly  different  as  are  the  grades  of  fat  cattle.  In  an  at- 
tempt to  fix  their  value  to  the  slaughterer,  there  is,  perhaps  no 
other  class  of  cattle  which  presents  such  great  difficulties  to  the 
novice  as  this  one.  The  form  or  conformation  of  a  cow  counts 
for  more  as  indicating-  the  value  of  the  animal  than  it  does  in 
the  better  market  classes  and  grades  of  cattle.  When  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  fact  is  realized  that  some  cows  dress  out  60  per  cent, 
of  dressed  beef  while  others  dress  only  35  per  cent.,  the  importance 
of  a  close  study  of  this  class  of  cattle  by  the  buyer  is  appreciated, 
if  he  hopes  to  secure  a  profit  from  their  slaughter. 

Cows  quite  generally  show  a  high  percentage  of  offal  in  dress- 
ing. To  make  proper  allowance  for  this,  buyers  discriminate 
against  excessive  paunchiness  even  where  the  quality  and  con- 
dition are  otherwise  quite  satisfactory. 

Canners  include  thin  cows,  inferior  steers,  heifers,  bulls,  and 
stags,  and  in  fact  anything  of  a  low,  inferior  grade  that  is  too 
lacking  in  flesh  to  permit  of  even  a  part  of  the  carcass  being  used 
for  block  purposes.  Cutters  include  the  better  grades  of  the  same 
general  class.  Cutters  must  carry  sufficient  flesh  to  permit  of  the 
loin  or  rib,  or  both  being  used  for  cutting  or  selling  over  the  butch- 
er's block.  The  class  of  canners  and  cutters  and  the  grades  with- 


/902.] 


MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF    CATTLE. 


403 


404 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


{July, 


1902.]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  405 

in  this  class  are  more  or  less  elastic  and  variable  as  are  all  market 
classes  and  the  various  grades  within  them.  A  thin  cow,  inferior 
steer,  heifer  or  bull  that  might  be  classed  as  a  cutter  to-day  may 
be  classed  as  a  canner  to-morrow.  Such  radical  changes  of  market 
conditions  cannot  of  course  be  more  than  mentioned  in  a  discussion 
of  this  nature.  They  are  changes  which  are  always  noted  in 
market  reports.  As  a  general  guide  it  may  be  borne  in  mind  that 
a  scarcity  of  beef  cattle  of  all  grades  forces  packers  to  use  cattle 
for  cutting  and  block  purposes  that  would  ordinarily  be  used  as 
canners.  Good  cutters  might  be  classed  as  butcher  stock  when 
such  cattle  are  in  strong  demand  and  the  "supply  is  limited. 

The  bulk  of  cattle  classed  as  cutters  and  canners  may  be 
graded  as  follows  : 

Good  cutters 

Medium  cutters 

Common  cutters  and  good  canners 

Medium  canners 

Inferior  canners 

Bologna  bulls 

GOOD  CUTTERS. 

From  the  very  nature  of  the  cattle  with  which  we  are  now 
concerned  it  can  not  be  said  that  there  is  anything  in  the  cutter 
line  that  is  choice.  When  an  animal  is  a  little  too  good  to  be 
classed  and  graded  as  a  good  cutter  it  would  be  classed  as  butcher 
stock  and  graded  as  medium.  The  grade  of  cattle,  therefore, 
spoken  of  as  good  canners,  is  just  a  grade  lower  than  medium  or 
"beef  cows,  heifers,  and  bulls.  They  lack  the  conformation  and 
flesh  which  should  prevail  in  such  stock.  The  bulk  of  the  offer- 
ings in  this  grade  consist  of  farrow  dairy  cows  that  carry  some 
flesh,  but  not  enough  to  warrant  an  attempt  to  use  all  as  carcass 
beef.  Plate  21. 

MEDIUM  CUTTERS. 

Low  grade,  thin  cattle  may  be  classed  as  medium  cutters  simply 
because  they  do  not  have  the  conformation  which  indicates  an 
ability  to  dress  a  relatively  high  percentage  of  carcass  to  live 
weight  or  they  may  be  noticeably  lacking  in  flesh. 

The  fact  should  be  emphasized  that  it  is  the  conformation 
indicating  an  ability  to  dress  a  high  percentage  together  with  the 
possession  of  a  moderate  amount  of  flesh  that  determines  the  eligi- 
bility of  an  animal  to  the  better  grades  of  this  class.  Quality  or 
beef  breeding  has  little  to  do  with  it  since  the  majority  of  canners 
and  cutters  are  dairy  bred  stuff.  Plate  22. 


406 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[July, 


IQ02.] 


MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF  CATTLE. 


407 


4o8 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[July, 


1902.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF  CATTLE. 


409 


410  BULLETIN   NO.   78.  {July, 

COMMON  CUTTERS  AND  GOOD  CANNERS. 

Common  cutters  and  good  canners  may  be  considered  in  the 
same  grade,  as  they  are  between  canners  and  cutters.  The  dividing- 
line  between  the  two  is  far  from  being-  definitely  drawn.  It  is 
determined  by  the  supply  of  and  demand  for  such  stock  rather  than 
the  quality  and  condition  of  the  offerings.  It  is  believed  that  more 
can  be  learned  from  a  careful  study  of  the  cut  illustrating  this  grade 
than  from  any  description  that  might  be  given.  Plate  23. 

MEDIUM  CANNERS. 

Market  conditions  seldom,  if  ever,  vary  enough  so  that  medium 
canners  would  ever  grade  as  cutters.  The  experienced  buyer  or 
salesman  knows  at  a  glance  that  such  stock  are  canners  and  can 
never  be  looked  upon  as  possessing  flesh  enough  to  be  used  for  any 
other  purpose.  They  are  rough  and  angular  and  decidedly  devoid 
of  flesh.  Plate  24. 

INFERIOR  CANNERS. 

Inferior  canners  are  honored  by  more  significant  names  than 
any  other  class  of  cattle  around  the  yards.  Canners  must  be  infe- 
rior to  a  marked  degree  to  be  so  graded  or  to  attract  any  particular 
attention  from  salesmen  or  buyers.  If  they  are  clearly  of  the  infe- 
rior order  they  may  be  referred  to  as  "  Dairy  maids  ",  "  Nellies  ", 
"  Hat  racks  ",  or  "  Skins  ".  Plates  25  and  26.  The  former  shows 
inferior  canner  cows  and  the  latter  an  inferior  canner  bull.  Tfle 
bull  shown  in  Plate  26  sold  on  the  Chicago  market  June  25,  1902 
for  a  total  of  $7.00." 

BOLOGNA  BULLS. 

Bologna  bulls  are  a  grade  lower  than  medium  butcher  bulls, 
notice  of  which  has  been  made  previously  in  this  bulletin.  They 
lack  the  flesh,  and  conformation  so  manifestly  charactertstic  of 
well  conditioned  beef  bred  animals.  In  this  class  we  find  a  some- 
what wide  range  of  quality,  flesh,  conformation,  and  weight.  It 
includes  all  bulls  between  medium  butcher,  and  canner  bulls.  A 
part  of  the  loins  and  ribs  of  Bologna  bulls  are  used  for  block  pur- 
poses, hence,  they  would  grade  as  cutters  rather  than  as  canners. 
Plate  27. 

STOCKERS  AND  FEEDERS. 

For  the  man  who  makes  a  business  of  breeding  or  feeding  beef 
cattle  for  the  market, there  are  two  classes  of  cattle  that  should  re- 
ceive his  most  careful  study ;  namely,  Beef  Cattle  of  the  good, 
choice,  and  prime  grades  and  Stockers  and  Feeders.  These  two 
classes  represent  the  beginning-  and  the  end  of  the  feeding  process. 

The  class,  stockers  and  feeders,  includes  calves,  yearlings, 
two-year-olds  and  older  cattle.  Each  is  graded  according  to  age 


IQ02.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  411 

and  quality,  the  condition  being-  indicated  largely  by  range  in 
weight.  When  it  becomes  necessary  to  refer  to  steers  or  bulls 
eightee  n  months'  old  or  older  that  are  intended  for  immediate  use 
in  the  feed  lot,  they  are  spoken  of  as  feeders.  Calves,  heifers  and 
young  steers  including  yearlings  are  referred  to  as  stockers.  Some 
difficulties  are  encountered  in  attempting  to  draw  a  definite  line 
between  stockers  and  feeders  in  this  class.  The  importance  and 
value,  however,  of  having  the  grades  of  this  class  quoted  in  mark- 
et reports  in  a  manner  which  will  at  once  convey  to  the  reader  a 
correct  impression  as  to  the  quality  of  the  offerings  and  their 
market  values,  is  generally  recognized.  Cattle  of  the  same  grade, 
age,  quality,  and  weight  shipped  to  the  country  by  two  different 
feeders  might  not  be  handled  at  all  alike  ;  one  feeder  might  use 
them  as  stockers  while  the  other  might  place  them  in  the  feed  lot 
for  immediate  use.  It  is  obvious  therefore,  that  the  use  to  which 
the  cattle  are  put  by  the  feeder  is  not  a  correct  basis  for  classifi- 
cation. A  safer  basis  would  be  to  let  the  combined  factors  of  age, 
weight,  and  condition  of  the  animals  decide  whether  they  should 
be  quoted  as  stockers  or  as  feeders. 

It  is  seldom  that  a  steer  weighing  less  than  800  pounds  is 
placed  in  the  feed  lot,  and  the  common  practice  is  to  buy  steers  for 
feeders  that  weigh  from  900  to  .1000  pounds  and  often  heavier. 
Such  steers  are  usually  eighteen  months  of  age  or  older.  Steers 
spoken  of  in  the  market  as  feeders  are,  generally  speaking,  in  bet- 
ter flesh  than  stockers.  As  a  rule,  therefore,  we  may  classify  as 
feeders,  steers  weighing  900  pounds  or  more  that  are  eighteen 
months  old  or  older  and  that  are  fleshy  enough  so  as  not  to  render 
an  extended  period  of  low  feeding  necessary.  To  be  sure,  some  of 
the  better  grades  of  younger  and  lighter  weight  cattle,  that  would 
be  called  stockers  under  this  system  of  classification,  are  occasion- 
ally purchased  for  immediate  use  in  the  feed  lot.  This  is  the  ex- 
ception and  not  the  rule.  In  the  interest  of  uniformity  and  because 
heifers  going  back  to  the  country  are  more  often  used  for  breeding 
purposes  than  for  feeding,  all  heifers  in  the  stocker  and  feeder  class 
will  be  considered  as  stockers  and  in  our  judgment  should  be  so 
quoted. 

Since  quality  or  breeding  very  largely  determine  the  grades 
within  the  class  whether  the  animals  are  stockers  or  feeders  a  de- 
scription of  the  various  grades  of  feeders  will  answer  equally  well 
for  the  same  grades  of  stockers  excepting  the  grades  of  stock  heif- 
ers. 

It  is  not  t  he  intention  at  this  time  to  discuss  the  question  as  to 
whether  it  pays  best  to  buy  and  finish  good  to  choice  strong  weight 


412  BULLETIN   NO.   78. 

stockers  or  inferior  light  and  common  to  medium  grades.  This  is 
a  question  which  depends  largely  upon  local  and  market  conditions. 
In  this  matter  it  is  safer  to  depend  upon  the  intelligent  judgment  of 
the  feeder  than  upon  any  general  principle  involved. 

It  is  a  comparatively  easy  task  to  name  the  characteristics  of 
the  prime  steer,  or  at  least  one  which  will  meet  the  present  require- 
ments of  the  market  ;  not  so  the  choice  feeder.  In  the  former  case 
we  have  a  finished  product.  In  the  latter,  we  are  obliged  not  only 
to  determine  whether  the  steer  in  finishing  will  take  on  that 
smoothness  of  outline,  that  condition  and  that  quality  demanded 
by  the  market,  tut  also  that  the  same  steer  when  placed  in  the  feed 
lot  will  meet  the  requirements  of  the  farmer  by  proving  a  profit- 
able feeder. 

The  farmer  carries  the  steer  through  the  fattening  process 
that  he  may  realize  a  profit  by  the  enterprise.  As  a  rule  he  is  not 
particular  whether  he  secures  his  profit  by  the  increased  value  of 
each  pound  of  beef  by  converting  the  relatively  cheap,  raw  mate- 
rial in  the  form  of  stockers  and  feeders  into  high  priced  pri  me 
steers,  or  whether  he  has  realized  that  profit  by  being  able  to  pro- 
duce gains  in  live  weight  without  a  gain  in  value  per  pound.  Man- 
ifestly it  is  to  the  former  source  of  profit  that  he  must  look  with 
greatest  confidence.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  by  overlooking  the 
factor  of  ability  to  convert  economically  grain  and  forage  into  beef 
we  disregard  a  possible  source  of  profit  and  run  great  risk  of  sus- 
taining loss  in  our  feeding  operations,  where  with  proper  regard  to 
this  factor  a  substantial  profit  is  possible.  To  put  it  in  another 
way,  we  may  say  that  when  put  into  the  feed  lot  the  feeder  is  ex- 
pected to  gain  in  live  weight  ;  such  gain  may  be  made  at  a  great 
loss,  or  under  favorable  conditions  at  a  profit.  The  ability  to  make 
economical  gains  in  flesh  and  fat  is  thus  shown  to  be  of  vital  im- 
portance, as  is  also,  obviously,  the  first  cost  of  the  feeder. 

The  following  grades  include  the  bulk  of  the  offerings  : 

Fancy  selected  feeders 900  to  1150  Ib. 

Choice  feeders ooo  to  1 100  Ib. 

Good  feeders 850  to  1 100  Ib. 

Medium  feeders 800  to  1050  Ib. 

Common  feeders 800  to  950  Ib. 

Inferior  feeders 800  to  ooo  Ib. 

Feeder  bulls icoo  to  1200  Ib. 

Fancy  selected  yearling  stockers 750  to  ooo  Ib. 

Choice  yearling  stockers 600  to  850  Ib. 

Good  yearling  stockers 550  to  800  Ib. 

Medium  yearling  stockers 550  to  750  Ib. 

Common  yearling  stockers 500  to  700  Ib. 

Inferior  yearling  stockers 400  to  650  Ib. 

Good  stock  heifers 600  to  700  Ib. 

Medium  stock  heifers 550  to  700  Ib. 

Common  stock  heifers 450  to  600  Ib. 


1902.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


413 


4M  BULLETIN   NO.   78.  [July, 

FANCY  SELECTED  FEEDERS. 

Relatively  very  few  of  this  grade  of  stockers  and  feeders  find 
their  way  to  market.  Breeders  fortunate  enough  to  own  thinnish 
steers  of  such  quality  usually  hold  them  until  finished  as  prime  bul- 
locks, or  sell  them  at  home  to  feeders  at  good  strong-  prices,  avoid- 
ing- the  expenses  incident  to  shipping.  Fancy  selected  stockers 
must  not  only  possess  the  characteristics  of  g-ood  to  choice  stock- 
ers and  feeders  as  described  in  the  following-  pages,  but  they  must 
be  uniform  in  color,  give  unmistakable  evidence  of  being  high 
grades  of  some  one  of  the  beef  breeds  and  they  are  almost  invar- 
iably better  fleshed  than  feeders  of  the  good  to  choice  grades. 
Fancy  selected  stockers  and  feeders  are  to  the  Stocker  and  Feeder 
class  what  prime  steers  are  to  the  Beef  Cattle  class,-the  best  grade 
within  the  class,-  and  practically  above  adverse  criticism.  They 
are  the  grade  of  feeders  which  if  properly  handled  will  finish  into 
prime  steers  of  the  market-topping  order.  Plate  29. 

CHOICE  FEEDERS. 

It  is  highly  desirable  to  describe  in  detail  a  standard  grade  of 
stockers  and  feeders  ;  otherwise  we  should  confuse  rather  than  de- 
fine. If  the  animals  in  one  grade  of  stockers  and  feeders  are  more 
uniform  than  in  the  others  it  is  in  the  choice  grade.  Steers  of  this 
grade  will,  under  proper  management,  develop  into  choice  and 
prime  steers.  It  would  seem  wise  therefore,  to  consider  in  detail 
their  desirable  characteristics. 

It  may  be  said  then  that  we  demand  in  choice  stockers  and 
feeders,  first,  the  ability  to  finish  as  choice  or  prime  steers  ;  and 
second  the  ability  to  make  economical  gains  in  flesh  and  fat.  As 
far  as  our  present  knowledge  of  the  matter  goes,  we  look  for  indi- 
cations of  these  tendencies  in  the  form,  quality,  and  constitution. 

1.  Form. — The  general  form,  should  be  low-set,  deep,  broad, 
and  compact  rather  than  high  up,  gaunt,  narrow,  and  loosely  made. 
Stockers  and  feeders  should  be  low-set  or  on  short  legs  because  an- 
imals of  this  conformation  are  almost  invariably  good  feeders  and 
capable  of  early  maturity.  They  should  be  deep,  broad,  and  com- 
pact because  this  conformation  indicates  good  constitution,  capac- 
ity for  growth  and  for  producing  ultimately  a  relatively  high  per- 
centage of  the  most  valuable  cuts.  Select  feeders  with  broad,  flat 
backs  and  long,  level  rumps.  They  should  possess  straight  top  and 
underlines  which  should  be  nearly  parallel;  should  be  low  at  the 
flanks  thus  forming  what  we  have  spoken  of  above  as  good  depth, 
for  the  barrel  of  stockers  and  feeders  as  well  as  dairy  cows  should 
be  roomy.  An  animal  which  is  too  paunchy,  however,  is  objection- 


IQ02.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  CATTLE.  415 

able  to  the  butcher.  The  matter  of  low  flanks  should  be  emphasized 
as  it  is  an  almost  unfailing-  sign  of  good  constitution  and  good 
feeding-  quality.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  stocker  and 
feeder,  thin  in  flesh  and  largely  destitute  of  external  or  surface  fat 
affords  the  best  possible  opportunity  of  determining  the  covering 
of  natural  flesh  characteristic  of  the  animal. 

Secure  as  much  smoothness  of  outline  as  is  consistent  with  low 
flesh,  being  especially  careful  to  avoid  too  great  prominence  in  hips, 
tailhead,  and  shoulders.  Avoid  rough,  open  shoulders,  sway 
backs  and  large  coarse  heads  with  small  eyes  set  in  the  side  of  the 
head.  Short,  broad  heads  and  short  thick  necks  indicate  strong- 
tendencies  toward  beef  making.  A  large,  prominent,  and  mild  eye 
is  to  be  desired.  The  mild  eye  denotes  that  the  animal  has  a  quiet 
disposition  which  all  feeders  know  is  so  desirable  in  a  steer  intend- 
ed for  the  feed  lot.  The  distance  between  eye  and  horn  should  be 
short  and  the  horn  should  be  flat  and  of  medium  fineness  rather 
than  round  and  coarse.  The  lower  jaw  should  be  heavily  coated 
with  muscle ;  the  muzzle,  lips,  and  mouth  should  be  larg-e  but  not 
coarse. 

2.  Quality. — It  is  well  to  distinguish  between  what  mig-ht  be 
called  (a}  general  quality  and  (£)  handling  quality.  («)  General 
quality.  By  general  quality  is  meant  general  refinement  of  exter- 
nal conformation  as  seen  in  the  head,  horn,  bone,  compactness,  and 
smoothness  of  outline.  General  quality  is  affected  by  nothing-  so 
much  as  by  breeding- ;  in  fact  the  two  are  very  closely  associated. 
Good  quality  is  seldom  found  in  a  plainly  bred  steer,  but  is  gener- 
ally  characteristic  of  a  well-bred  animal.  The  desirability  of  gen- 
eral quality  cannot  be  too  strong-ly  emphasized.  While  it  is  a 
characteristic  that  involves  many  points  and  is  difficult  to  describe, 
its  presence  or  absence  is  quickly  discerned  by  the  trained  eye  of 
the  intelligent  buyer.  It  is  this  characteristic  in  the  stockers  and 
feeders  more  than  any  other  that  we  depend  upon  as  indicating 
that  the  animal  has  within  it  the  possibility  of  making-  a  prime 
steer. 

The  ability  to  select  stockers  and  feeders  which  have  within 
them  the  possibility  of  making  prime  steers  is  one  of  the  first  and 
most  important  lessons  for  the  stockman  to  learn.  Profits  in  steer 
feeding  come  not  so  much  from  skill  in  feeding  and  management 
as  from  intelligent  buying  and  selling.  The  profit  resulting  from 
an  increase  during  the  fattening  period  of  the  value  per  pound  of 
the  total  weight  of  the  animal  is  as  important  as  that  resulting 
from  the  method  employed  in  the  feeding  and  management.  It  is 
seldom  possible  to  produce  at  a  profit  gains  which  do  not  increase 


4l6  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  {July, 

the  value  per  pound  of  the  total  weight  of  the  animal.  Hence  the 
importance  of  intelligent  buying1,  or  the  selection  of  feeders  and 
stockers  of  good  quality. 

(b)  Handling- quality.  Good  handling-  quality  indicates  that 
the  possessor  is  a  g-ood  feeder.  It  shows  that  the  animal  is  in 
g-ood  health  or  thrift  and  capable  of  beg-inning-  to  gain  as  soon  as 
an  abundance  of  food  is  supplied.  We  speak  of  cattle  as  possess- 
ing- g-ood  handling-  quality  when  the  skin  is  mellow  and  loose.  A 
thick,  mossy  coat  of  hair  of  medium  fineness  and  a  moderately 
thick  skin  are  also  desirable. 

3.  Constitution.— The.  points  indicative  of  g-ood  constitution 
have  practically  been  covered  under  Form.  Good  constitution 
is  indicated  by  a  wide,  deep  chest,  by  fullness  in  the  heart-girth, 
depth  and  breadth  of  body,  and  g-ood  handling-  quality.  While  we 
want  refinement  of  form  and  bone,  otherwise  spoken  of  as  general 
quality,  we  do  not  want  that  refinement  carried  to  the  point  of  del- 
icacy. Too  much  refinement  means  delicacy  or  a  lack  of  constitu- 
tion and  no  animal  lacking-  in  constitution  should  find  its  way  into 
the  feed  lot.  The  desirable  characteristics  of  beef  form,  quality 
and  constitution  should  be  found  in  well-bred  hig-h  grades  of  any 
of  the  leading1  beef  breeds.  In  the  interest  of  uniformity  in  the  fin- 
ished product  it  should  be  observed  that  hig-h  grade  Herefords  can 
usually  be  put  on  the  market  in  the  fewest  number  of  days  and  suf- 
fer most  from  carrying1  beyond  the  point  of  ripeness ;  that  Short- 
horns and  Aberdeen  Ang-us  grades  while  a  little  slower  to  mature 
are  in  fully  as  strong-  demand  in  the  market  as  are  grade  Here- 
fords  ;  and  that  Aberdeen  Ang-us  and  Galloways  may  be  carried 
long-er  on  full  feed  than  other  breeds  of  beef  cattle  without  indi- 
cations of  bunches  or  rolls  of  fat  which  are  so  strongly  discrimi- 
nated against  in  our  markets. 

After  all  that  may  be  said,  however,  as  to  breed,  the  import- 
ant consideration  is  to  see  that  the  steer  should  be  a  high  grade  of 
some  one  of  the  beef  breeds  and  that  the  selection  of  the  individ- 
ual should  receive  more  attention  than  the  selection  of  the  breed. 
The  question  of  age  should  not  be  overlooked.  A  thrifty 
young  steer  of  good  weight  and  in  good  flesh  is  to  be  preferred  to 
an  older  stunted  steer.  It  should  be  said,  however,  that  a  stunted 
steer  of  any  age  or  weight  is  a  profit  spoiler  in  the  feed  lot.  Uni- 
formity in  color  of  feeders  is  desirable,  but  the  mistake  should  not 
be  made  of  getting  uniformity  of  color  at  the  expense  of  more  im- 
portant characteristics.  It  is  possible  to  secure  good  colors,  reds 
and  blacks,  in  steers  of  very  poor  quality  and  containing  very  little 
beef  blood.  If  it  is  a  question  of  choosing  between  a  combination 


I902.] 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  CATTLE. 


417 


4l8  BULLETIN  NO.  78: 

of  good  quality  and  correct  conformation,  and  good  colors, — take 
the  quality  and  conformation  and  let  some  other  party  have  the 
colors.  The  writer  has  sometimes  thought  that  it  is  a  disadvan- 
tage rather  than  otherwise  that  most  registered  beef  bulls  are  so 
prepotent  in  transmitting  their  color  markings.  A  one-eighth 
blood  Hereford  may  have  Hereford  markings, or  a  one-eighth  blood 
Angus  the  color  and  polled  characteristic  of  the  pure  Angus  and 
have  but  little  beef  character.  Plate  30  shows  a  choice  steer. 

GOOD  FEEDERS. 

Good  feeders  possess  only  to  a  limited  degree  the  beef  blood, 
the  thrift,  and  the  conformation  of  a  choice  or  selected  feeder.  It 
is  not  difficult  to  criticise  them  as  somewhat  lacking  in  the  most 
desirable  characteristics  of  an  ideal  feeder.  They  may  be  too  long 
in  the  leg,  too  narrow  on  the  back  and  either  too  light  or  too  heavy 
in  the  bone.  Frequently  feeders  so  graded  have  a  tendency  to  be 
a  little  rough  and  coarse.  It  is  generally  true,  however,  that 
steers  of  this  grade  kept  in  the  feed  lot  until  ripe  or  finished,  will 
in  such  condition,  grade  at  least  as  high  as  good  beeves,  while  it 
is  not  at  all  impossible  for  them  to  become  choice  enough  in  condi- 
tion to  grade  as  choice  bullocks.  Plate  31. 

MEDIUM  FEEDERS. 

Medium  feeders  are  only  average  as  to  quality  and  thrift. 
They  are  usually  of  lighter  weight  than  the  good,  choice,  and 
selected  grades.  Plate  32  represents  accurately  the  type  of  steers 
characteristic  of  this  grade.  They  generally  possess  a  fair  amount 
of  beef  blood,  enough  so  that  their  color  is  not  objectionable.  Their 
general  appearance  so  far  as  it  indicates  their  quality  and  thrift 
is  rather  against  them,  indicating  that  no  matter  how  judiciously 
they  may  be  handled  it  will  be  the  exceptional  steer  among  them 
that  will  develop  into  anything  better  than  a  medium  or  possibly 
a  good  bullock.  It  is  seldom  good  practice  to  finish  this  grade  of 
feeders. 

COMMON  FEEDER. 

A  common  feeder  is  decidedly  deficient  in  quality.  When  the 
word  common  is  correctly  applied  to  a  grade  of  cattle  the  reader 
should  at  once  know  that  that  grade  of  cattle  is  noticeably  deficient 
in  quality;  it  usually  also  indicates  a  lack  of  desirable  conforma- 
tion and  flesh.  In  speaking  of  feeders  it  indicates  that  such  feed- 
ers are  common  in  quality,  common  in  conformation,  and  common 
in  condition.  Like  medium  feeders  it  seldom  pays  to  attempt  to 
finish  them.  Plate  33. 


IQ02.J 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES  OF   CATTLE. 


419 


420 


BULLETIN  NO.  78. 


[July, 


1902.]  MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE.  421 

INFERIOR  FEEDER. 

It  would  seem  that  a  feeder  of  a  lower  grade  than  common, 
might  more  properly  be  relegated  to  the  level  of  a  canner  than  be 
permitted  the  dignity  of  the  name,  inferior  feeder.  As  long  how- 
ever as  there  is  sufficient  demand  for  inferior  feeders  they  cannot 
consistently  be  omitted  from  quotations  of  the  live  stock  market. 
Such  feeders  are  rough  and  angular,  largely  devoid  of  natural  flesh 
and  possessing  the  conformation  of  a  dairy  rather  than  a  beef  bred 
animal.  In  the  feed  lot  they  are  slow  feeders  and  do  not  make  a. 
satisfactory  bullock  when  fat.  Plate  34. 

Plates  35,  36,  37,*38,  39,  and  40  represent  respectively,'  selected, 
choice,  good,  medium,  common,  and  inferior  stockers.  A  careful 
study  of  these  plates  together  with  the  descriptions  of  the  various 
grades  of  feeders  will  help  to  fix  in  mind  the  characteristic  differ- 
ences in  the  several  grades  of  stockers. 

FEEDER  BULLS. 

Feeder  bulls  include  a  grade  of  young  bulls  shipped  to  the 
market  in  low  condition.  Bulls  to  be  desirable  for  feeding-  pur- 
poses should  be  young-,  possess  beef  breeding,  conformation,  natu- 
ral flesh,  and  thrift.  They  weigh  from  1000  to  1200  pounds.  Plate  41. 

GOOD  STOCK  HEIFERS. 

Relatively  very  few  choice  stock  heifers  are  sold  on  the  market, 
hence,  the  best  grade  of  stock  heifers  to  be  considered  here  will  be 
good  heifers.  Stock  heifers  are  bought  to  be  shipped  to  the  country 
both  for  the  feed  lot  and  for  breeding  purposes.  Good  heifers  show 
considerable  beef  blood  and  possess  good  square  frames.  Such 
heifers  are  invariably  in  better  thrift  and  condition  than  lower 
grades  of  stock  heifers.  Still  they  are  hardly  fleshy  enough  to  be 
used  as  butcher  stock.  Whether  a  fleshy  heifer  would  be  used  as  a 
stock  heifer  or  for  slaughter  would  depend  upon  the  demand  for 
butcher  stock  and  the  prevailing  prices  for  the  same.  Plate  42. 

MEDIUM  STOCK  HEIFERS. 

Medium  heifers  show  less  breeding  and  in  general  are  notice- 
ably thinner  in  flesh  and  lighter  in  weight  than  good  heifers. 
They  do  not  have  the  neat  blocky  frames  and  they  lack  the  quality 
possessed  by  the  better  grades  of  stock  heifers.  The  heifer  in 
Plate  43  shows  rather  more  flesh  than  the  averag-e  of  this  grade. 

COMMON  HEIFERS. 

Common  heifers  are  invariably  lacking  in  both  quality  and  con- 
dition to  a  marked  degree.  They  are  of  lighter  weight  than  the 


BULLHT1N  NO.  78. 


[July, 


1902.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


423 


424 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[July, 


1902.] 


MARKET   CLASSES    AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


425 


426 


BULLETIN  NO.  78. 


ISuiy, 


IQ02.] 


MARKET  CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


427 


428 


BULLETIN   NO.   78. 


[Jt*ty, 


IQ02.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE 


42Q 


44.  COMMON    STOCK    HEIFER. 


430  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  [/"fy, 

better  grades  and  show  evidences  of  dairy  rather  than  beef  blood. 
When  such  heifers  are  put  in  the  feed  lot  and  finished  they  would 
seldom  if  ever  grade  better  than  medium  to  good  butcher  stock. 
Plate  44. 

VEAL  CALVES. 

The  most  important  factors  to  be  considered  in  determining 
the  grade  to  which  a  veal  calf  belongs,  are  age,  condition,  and 
weight.  The  weight  does  not  matter  so  much  as  age  and  flesh, 
although  desirable  weight  in  the  good  and  choice  grades  of  veals 
is  important.  A  veal  either  twenty-five  pounds  too  light  or  too 
heavy  may  be  sold  at  a  reduced  price  when  the  same  quality,  age, 
and  flesh  in  a  calf  of  desirable  weight  would  sell  as  a  choice  veal. 
It  is  more  difficult  to  distinguish  breeding  in  young  calves  than  in 
older  cattle  and  it  is  fortunate,  therefore,  that  the  breeding  of 
veals  is  of  little  importance  and  that  the  main  thing  is  to  get  fine 
finish  on  a  young  calf, — say  a  weight  of  about  140  to  160  pounds 
with  faultless  finish  on  an  eight  weeks'  calf. 

Veal  calves  are  classified  as  follows  : 

Choice  veals 120  to  160  Ib. 

Good  veals 1 10  to  200  Ib. 

Medium  veals 100  to  240  Ib. 

Common  veals 80  to  300  Ib. 

CHOICE  VEALS. 

To  be  choice  a  calf  must  be  fat,  and  strictly  fancy.  It  must 
not  lack  in  condition  or  be  either  too  young  or  too  old,  too  light  or 
too  heavy.  The  most  desirable  weight  is  150  pounds  and  the  best 
age  about  seven  weeks.  Choice  veals  range  in  weight  from  120  to 
160  pounds,  and  in  age  from  six  to  eight  weeks.  Plate  45. 

GOOD  VEALS. 

The  extreme  range  of  the  age  and  weight  in  good  veals  is 
somewhat  wider  than  in  choice  ones  owing  to  the  fact  that  since 
buyers  can  secure  good  veals  at  a  lower  price  they  are  naturally 
less  discriminating.  Good  calves  vary  in,  weight  from  110  to  200 
pounds  and  in  age  from  six  to  ten  weeks.  A  calf  that  might 
otherwise  grade  as  choice  but  is  a  little  advanced  in  age  and  of  too 
strong  weight  would  be  classed  as  a  good  veal.  A  calf  may  be 
all  right  as  to  age  and  weight,  but  lack  the  fine  finish  or  flesh 
necessary  to  be  graded  as  choice. 

Plate  46  shows  a  calf  with  plenty  of  flesh,  but  too  much  age 
and  weight  to  be  choice,  still  good  enough  to  grade  as  good. 


igo2.] 


MARKET   CLASSES   AND   GRADES   OF   CATTLE. 


431 


432  BULLETIN  NO.  78.  [July, 

MEDIUM  VEALS. 

Medium  veals  may  have  the  most  desirable  weights,  namely, 
from  140  to  160  pounds,  but  too  advanced  in  age  for  their  weight 
and  finish.  They  usually  give  evidence  of  being  grown  too  slowly 
owing  to  lack  of  proper  or  sufficient  supply  of  milk,  or  else  are  too 
light  in  weight  having  been  sent  forward  before  fully  ripe.  Then 
again,  calves  are  often  classed  as  medium  because  they  have  been 
held  back  too  long  getting  both  too  much  age  and  too  much  weight 
although  they  may  have  faultless  flesh  and  conformation.  It 
should  be  said,  however,  that  the  bulk  of  medium  calves  are  too 
light  in  weight  and  too  young  rather  than  too  old  and  too  heavy. 
Medium  veals  have  the  same  faults  as  good  veals  to  a  more  marked 
degree.  Such  calves  vary  in  weight  from  100  to  240  pounds  and 
in  age  from  five  to  twelve  weeks.  Plate  47. 

COMMON  VEALS. 

All  thin  calves  except  those  too  old  to  be  classed  as  veals  are 
spoken  of  as  common.  When  too  old  and  heavy  to  be  classed  as 
veals  they  are  sold  either  as  stockers  or  as  butcher  stock  depending 
upon  their  condition.  If  advanced  in  age  and  thin  enough  to  grade 
as  common  in  condition  they  would  grade  as  stock  calves.  Whether 
calves  of  such  age  and  weight  are  used  for  veal  or  stock  purposes 
will  depend  upon  the  demand  for  veals  and  stockers  as  well  as  the 
condition  of  the  calves  themselves.  Plate  48. 


I902.J 


MARKET   CLASSES  AND   GRADES   OF  CATTLE. 


433 


PLATE  47.   MEDIUM  VEAL. 


PLATE  48.  COMMONWEAL. 


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